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While it’s too early for outright panic, the signs are becoming increasingly hard to dismiss.
The Rangers come back from a three-game road trip burdened by a four-game losing streak—their longest of the season. Their latest defeat came at the hands of Utah, who snapped their own four-game losing streak, leaving the Rangers just a single point away from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
The team is gearing up for a challenging series of seven games, which includes tough away matches against Carolina, Boston, and Ottawa, as well as home games against formidable opponents like Tampa Bay, Dallas, Colorado, and Las Vegas.
Before they face this grueling schedule, the Rangers, currently holding the league’s worst home record at 1-7-1, need to overcome the Blues at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
But first, the league’s worst home team (1-7-1) must get past the Blues on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
“There’s no time to waste,” defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov said after Saturday’s loss to the Mammoth. “Gotta just do a quick regroup and be ready for Monday.”
Even if they are willing, will they be able?
The Rangers are averaging 2.48 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the NHL and would be the team’s lowest-scoring average in 17 years.
They have consistently failed to produce quality chances — getting outshot a combined 137-79 during the losing streak — and have repeatedly struggled to cash in their limited opportunities, ranking 29th in shot percentage (9.3), which would be the team’s worst mark in seven years.
While continuing to remain competitive because of the brilliance of Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, the Rangers (10-11-2) have scored just nine goals in the past five games.
Just five have come during five-on-five play.
“We’ve got to find a way to start creating chances again,” Mika Zibanejad said. “For the first part of the season, we were creating chances, just couldn’t finish it off. Right now I feel like we’re not getting as many chances as we would like. We try to address it. We try to talk about it. But we just have to keep going. We have to keep finding a way to get a little bit more ‘O’-zone time and generate from there. I feel like it’s easier to defend us when we’re one-and-done, and then they basically get the puck and go the other way.”
If not now, when?
The Blues (7-9-6) rank 30th in the NHL in goals against (3.64) and 29th in save percentage (.876).
Saturday’s win over the Islanders marked St. Louis’ only victory in its past five games.
“Obviously, our five-on-five play hasn’t been the best,” winger Will Cuylle said. “I feel like we’ve got to get more pucks to the net, more guys in the crease and maybe bang in some dirty goals since the pretty ones aren’t really working right now.
“Any time you have a bad game, you pretty much have to hit the reset button. You can’t be looking to the past. I’m looking forward to the game on Monday and getting the win there.”
Captain J.T. Miller (upper-body injury) is day to day after missing his first game of the season Saturday. … Defenseman Will Borgen (upper-body injury) also is day to day, having missed four of the past five games.